cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

It's Now or Never - 1 year country tour

ependydad
Explorer
Explorer
Starting June 19th, my wife and I are taking our two kids on a trip around the country for a little over a year. The biggest unfortunate is that I'll be working full-time while we do it. This means that each stop is extremely limited in what we can go do or see (we'll move each Monday, I'll work Tuesday to Friday, and we'll site-see on the weekend). Because we do have a limited amount of time (even a year is WAY too short), I had to make hard choices of what to stop and see in each state. I'm missing some really great things- I know. ๐Ÿ˜ž

We're largely ignoring the north-east and east coast as we currently live in Maryland. Meaning, these areas are all accessible as future summer trips.

Like everyone else, I'll be blogging about the adventure - Now Or Never

2017 Spartan 1245 by Prime Time
2018 Ram 3500 Crew Cab DRW w/ 4.10 gears and 8' bed
FW Hitch: TrailerSaver TS3
Learn to RV- learn about RVing - Towing Planner Calculators - Family Fulltiming FB page
45 REPLIES 45

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
Hope you enjoy your trip. When I was 13 or 14 we went on a 6 week cross country camping trip. There were some days that we would leave at 7am and drive until 7pm... then there were days on end that we would do that. Those days were horrible.

The trip was a lot of fun and encouraged me to keep camping with my wife and now the kids. One day we hope to take a leisurely cross country trip with the kids to give them the same experience. I am eligible to retire in 12 years at 46 years old. I might take a year off and travel while I am young and the kids are still with us.

Have fun, be sure to document the trip for us AND for you! Sounds like a real blast. I hope everything works out and you don't have any mechanical issues or any other unpleasant surprises.

Good luck from just down Rt 29 in Montgomery County!
2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS

loggenrock
Explorer
Explorer
Gotta ask... what occupation? A new locale every week? Interesting. Are your evenings open mid-week? When you already are "someplace" you don't need a lot of travel time to see local sites... ST
Two and a hound in a 2015 Coachmen Prism "B+"...pushed by '09 Suby Forester
First 50 done, working on the second pass! Nunavut - we'll see...!
2005-2015 Roadtrek 190P
1993-2005 Northstar Soft-Side TC
1989-1993 Backpacks & Tents!
1967-1977 Family TT's

2gypsies1
Explorer II
Explorer II
You are giving your children a great gift and one they will always remember. You're so lucky to be able to work your job in this manner. Your schedule is awesome! Enjoy!!!
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

fla-gypsy
Explorer
Explorer
rockhillmanor wrote:
fla-gypsy wrote:
Too bad you won't have time to see the real Florida


I thought that too until I finally got out of staying in southern Florida and pointed the RV to north central Florida.

WHAT a difference. Rainbow Springs is just unbelievable. Crystal River area a close second. And real pine trees abound here. I call this area the real Florida!But I am partial because I just bought a winter home for the MH here!:W:W

To the OP. ENJOY! Being with the whole family together is what really counts no matter where you go! :C


Real Florida=everything north of Orlando and south of Key Largo, LOL, me too.
This member is not responsible for opinions that are inaccurate due to faulty information provided by the original poster. Use them at your own discretion.

09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)

OutdoorPhotogra
Explorer
Explorer
when will you be in Yosemite? In my opinion, only bad time to be there is Memorial Day to Labor Day. Falls have been hit or miss lately with the drought. Tioga Road and Glacier Point have been open early in recent years.

highly recommend Michael Frye's app on Photographing Yosemite. $10 well spent. Same content as his book but gets updated occasionally and uses phone GPS.
2008 Rockwood Signature Ultralite 5th Wheel
F-250 6.2 Gasser

Former PUP camper (Rockwood Popup Freedom 1980)

kknowlton
Explorer II
Explorer II
SOunds wonderful! We had thought of this when we were younger, but work requirements (and probably inertia) set in. Never did do it, though we have seen quite a bit of the country, and hope to see a lot more!

I definitely approve of your plan to see the Henry Ford Museum (and of course Greenfield Village, attached) - worth an entire day and then some! And Glacier is stupendous - you'll spoil yourselves for mountain scenery after that. ๐Ÿ™‚ I hope you plan to include Yellowstone - the kids will love the animals, geysers, etc. - keep a close rein on that little guy, though!!
2020 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7L V8 w/ tow pkg, Equal-i-zer
2020 Lance 2375

ependydad
Explorer
Explorer
Merrykalia wrote:
We are thinking seriously considering this for next year. DH and I are both retired, but we have two DDs, aged 10 and 7. We won't be working, so we can travel any day and spend however much time we need to in each location.

I will plan to keep up with your blog throughout the year and make my plans that way.

My daughter is 11 now and will be 12 in December. And my son will turn 3 in June. You might consider looking into the Fulltime Families group. I'm hopeful that we can find other families of similar aged kids for my daughter to meet either virtually or in person. I think it'll go a long way towards her enjoyment on the trip.


OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
Enjoy! I'm sure you know there are plenty threads here with best routes between major attractions.

So CA Coast on on leg and Sierra's on the other. Should be interesting. 4 trips across the country. I've traveled West to East on the Northern and Southern routes and East to West on the Central route. Different moves each time. Southern route wasn't camping.

Thanks! Yes, we'll hit the CA coast running north to south as winter befalls us (Nov/Dec) before making our way back to the house of mouse. And then once spring is sprung, we'll make our way back. I'm a little disappointed in how early we'll be hitting Yosemite, but unless my end date for the trip extends- it is what it is.

Your routes and trips make me jealous. I'm hopeful that my family finds that we like this life. But, one day at a time!


michigansandzilla wrote:
How exciting!! It's the trip of a lifetime! How old are your kids? That might help us give you suggestions.

If you're working will your spouse be taking day trips with the kids?

Where are you going in Detroit? With or without kids, your marker looks like you'll be in a great position to visit Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford.

I'm sure everyone will have an opinion on what you're missing and what else you need to do. My two cents for Michigan with kids? Don't miss Mackinac Island. It's a four + hour drive from the Detroit area and well worth the road trip even if you don't pull the camper behind you.

Have a blast!!

Thank you for your kind words. The kids will be 12 and 3 for a majority of it. It seems unlikely that my wife will be taking many trips. We'll have to see how errands and homeschooling treat them, but at this point, I'm not planning on it.

As for Detroit- the 3 things that I was thinking was 1) the Henry Ford Museum 2) making the trip down to Elkhart to see the RV Hall of Fame and 3) a personal trip to Ann Arbor for the Ride 4 Kids.


magnusfide wrote:
Spending time with family is the wisest expenditure of all. Enjoy your trip and may you have Happy Trails.

Thank you!


rockhillmanor wrote:
To the OP. ENJOY! Being with the whole family together is what really counts no matter where you go! :C

Thanks! We do plan on checking out a little more of Florida than just the house of mouse. So, any ideas are welcome. I jotted down a couple of ideas, but I'm not positive where we'll end up.


Army11Bravo wrote:
This sounds to be such a great adventure. My personal preference is pin N. You will love "The Crown of the Continent." Good luck and safe travels. I'll follow along on your blog.

Ahh, Glacier. I literally know nothing about that area other than hearing people say how beautiful it is! So, I'm all ears. ๐Ÿ™‚


nirion wrote:
Best wishes. Sounds like an incredible adventure and experience.

Thanks! We can't wait.
2017 Spartan 1245 by Prime Time
2018 Ram 3500 Crew Cab DRW w/ 4.10 gears and 8' bed
FW Hitch: TrailerSaver TS3
Learn to RV- learn about RVing - Towing Planner Calculators - Family Fulltiming FB page

nirion
Explorer
Explorer
Best wishes. Sounds like an incredible adventure and experience.
2016 Ram 3500 SRW Big Horn CC LB 4x4, Cummins Turbo Diesel, Maximum Steel
2015 Sprinter 324FWBHS
2014 Ram 2500 Big Horn CC LB 4x4, Hemi 6.4, 4.10 - SOLD

Army11Bravo
Explorer II
Explorer II
This sounds to be such a great adventure. My personal preference is pin N. You will love "The Crown of the Continent." Good luck and safe travels. I'll follow along on your blog.
Army 11 Bravo - Gulf War Veteran
Wife, Two Teen Boys, Hound Dog (Daisy) & Beagles (Lily & Bailey)
2014 Springdale 267SRTWE Bunkhouse Travel Trailer
2009 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab 4x4

rockhillmanor
Explorer
Explorer
fla-gypsy wrote:
Too bad you won't have time to see the real Florida


I thought that too until I finally got out of staying in southern Florida and pointed the RV to north central Florida.

WHAT a difference. Rainbow Springs is just unbelievable. Crystal River area a close second. And real pine trees abound here. I call this area the real Florida!But I am partial because I just bought a winter home for the MH here!:W:W

To the OP. ENJOY! Being with the whole family together is what really counts no matter where you go! :C

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

magnusfide
Explorer II
Explorer II
Spending time with family is the wisest expenditure of all. Enjoy your trip and may you have Happy Trails.
"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.

Magnus

michigansandzil
Explorer
Explorer
How exciting!! It's the trip of a lifetime! How old are your kids? That might help us give you suggestions.

If you're working will your spouse be taking day trips with the kids?

Where are you going in Detroit? With or without kids, your marker looks like you'll be in a great position to visit Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford.

I'm sure everyone will have an opinion on what you're missing and what else you need to do. My two cents for Michigan with kids? Don't miss Mackinac Island. It's a four + hour drive from the Detroit area and well worth the road trip even if you don't pull the camper behind you.

Have a blast!!
2017 Coachmen Catalina 323 BHDSCK
2018 Ford F150 FX4
3 growing kids and 1 big dog

OutdoorPhotogra
Explorer
Explorer
Enjoy! I'm sure you know there are plenty threads here with best routes between major attractions.

So CA Coast on on leg and Sierra's on the other. Should be interesting. 4 trips across the country. I've traveled West to East on the Northern and Southern routes and East to West on the Central route. Different moves each time. Southern route wasn't camping.
2008 Rockwood Signature Ultralite 5th Wheel
F-250 6.2 Gasser

Former PUP camper (Rockwood Popup Freedom 1980)

Merrykalia
Explorer
Explorer
We are thinking seriously considering this for next year. DH and I are both retired, but we have two DDs, aged 10 and 7. We won't be working, so we can travel any day and spend however much time we need to in each location.

I will plan to keep up with your blog throughout the year and make my plans that way.
2017 Ford F350 Crew Cab 6.7L 4x4 DRW

ependydad
Explorer
Explorer
fla-gypsy wrote:
Too bad you won't have time to see the real Florida


We actually might come February 2016 when we go back to that area. We are spending some time finishing up our time on our Disney annual passes but then are still planning a couple of more weeks there.

I'm open to ideas, once we leave Clermont, I don't have anything set in stone as to where we may want to go:

Tue, 2/2 - Mon, 2/8 in Clermont, FL @ Thousand Trails Orlando (TT)
Mon, 2/8 - Mon, 2/15 in Clermont, FL @ Thousand Trails Orlando (TT)
Mon, 2/15 - Mon, 2/22 in Clermont, FL @ Thousand Trails Orlando (TT)
Mon, 2/22 - Mon, 2/29 in Cape Canaveral, FL @ Jetty Park
Mon, 2/29 - Sun, 3/6 in Crystal River, FL

The starting time in Florida is dedicated to me not feeling like I wasted money on our WDW Annual Passes. ๐Ÿ™‚
2017 Spartan 1245 by Prime Time
2018 Ram 3500 Crew Cab DRW w/ 4.10 gears and 8' bed
FW Hitch: TrailerSaver TS3
Learn to RV- learn about RVing - Towing Planner Calculators - Family Fulltiming FB page